


A Single Sunbeam

by starofinsomnia (quirklessbunny)



Category: Final Fantasy XV
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - High School, Angel True Forms, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Fluff, Friends to Lovers, Grief/Mourning, M/M, Memory Alteration, Memory Loss, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Photography, Platonic Cuddling, Rating May Change, Slow Burn, Warnings May Change
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-09-15
Updated: 2019-01-18
Packaged: 2019-07-12 17:44:37
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 6,147
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16000196
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/quirklessbunny/pseuds/starofinsomnia
Summary: Noctis is lonely, and one day finds a book in the mail that seems to be able to solve his problem. He can't summon a friend, but he can summon a guardian angel, and he can befriend this angel, or at least that's what he tells himself. What he doesn't know is how he messes up the destiny the gods gave to him.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> beta read by promiscuous_pidge! Thank you dear, i know you're busy and it means a lot that you still make time to read over my fics! <3 
> 
> that being said, if things go according to plan, the rating will be going up and the warnings will change

Noctis had grown used to the pining, almost longing feeling settled in his body, distracting him from everything, even if he's not quite sure what's causing it. He's pretty sure he knew at some point, but it's long gone if he did. He sighs as he waits for Ignis to pick up the mail, then follows him up towards his apartment. The mail looks odd today, specifically one of the packages, but he doesn't care enough to find out exactly what it is.

Ignis opens the package, fearful that it may be something used to hurt Noctis, but relaxes when he sees only a book inside, then reminds Noctis to go through his mail before making him dinner. He leaves before Noctis even gets off the couch to eat, having a busy evening outside of caring for his charge.

Noctis sighs as he hears the door click shut. He wishes Ignis would have stayed longer, he always feels so alone. He finally stands up a few moments later because of his grumbling stomach, and the food smells good like it always does. After dinner, he does poke around at the mail, but all the normal stuff is ignored after he picks up the package. It's pretty heavy, and when he tears away the wrapping he finds a book inside.

The tome is leather bound and musty smelling, causing his nose to crinkle. He knows he'd remember if he ordered something like this, but he supposes that a book can't hurt him. Noctis looks at the glittering, gold writing on the cover, written in a language he doesn't understand. As he opens the book, he first sees something written in the first language, then written again in his own language. Or at least he assumes it's the same thing translated. It's oddly captivating, and he reads over the first few rituals, curiosity peaked. They’re mostly detailing how to change the weather or make someone fall in love with you.

Noctis closes the book again and stares at the cover before hugging it to his chest. It’s definitely a book of rituals and summoning spells, though he's not sure any of the ones he's read so far can be of any help to him. Making someone fall in love with you isn't the same as having someone fall in love with you. All he wants in life is a friend, and summoning one straight out of a book seems pretty contrived. Maybe, though, it'll work.

“Wonder if there's a spell to help you remember,” he mumbles, sighing as he sits down at the table with it. He starts to flip through spells and comes across one that will summon an angel to be permanently bound to the summoner as a guardian. Perhaps, he reasons, he could befriend this angel, and finally have someone to talk to and maybe even play video games with. After flipping through a good portion of the book and finding nothing about bringing back lost memories, he goes back to the angel one.

The ingredients are all things he has laying around his house, much to his relief. Without even pausing to consider the consequences of the actions he's about to take, he sets it up and starts to read the incantation aloud. As the last word leaves his lips, a boom echoes through the apartment followed by a scream so loud it shakes the entire apartment. Glasses clink against each other in the cabinet then fall to the ground, shattering and refracting shards of light.

In a panic, Noctis curls up under the table, flinching as another loud slam echoes through the apartment. A bright light fills the room and nearly blinds him, then suddenly everything stops. The items that fell are now back in their original places, and the normal lighting is restored. He crawls out and finds that the only things gone are the items used in the ritual. Noctis slowly reaches out and touches the cover of the now closed book, taking a shaky breath. He looks around and sees nothing out of the ordinary and tells himself the spell must have been a dud, before heading to his room. It’s the only thing left to do. 

He'd never been against going to bed early, but after that experience he's almost glad to crawl between the covers. Sleep comes easily, as it always has, but the twist is that he's dreaming. He can't remember the last time he'd actually dreamt anything.

He's standing in his room, though it's cast in a rosy, golden light. He's facing his bed, but soft whispering behind him draws his attention. When he turns to towards the window, he sees someone backlit by whatever is causing the light. This person seems to have wings, which spread out to block the light and give Noctis a better view. “You've summoned and chained me to your soul, and I will be your protector for all eternity. Not even Bahamut can separate our eternal beings now.”

Noctis squints, trying to get a better look at it's face, but everything blurs out and he blinks awake. Something beside him draws his attention, and he rolls over, nearly cracking his nose against their knee.

“What the fuck,” he whispers, sitting up abruptly. The person is smiling in amusement now. “Are you...the angel? What's your name?” he asks, staring at the absolutely beautiful being in front of him. Blond hair that practically glows in the sunlight and blue eyes that are bordering on purple. He feels compelled to reach out and touch him, though he's not entirely sure why.

Something is off, though. His chest aches as he stares at that beautiful face, hand slowly going out to brush against the skin on his cheek. The warmth of his skin is almost terrifying, too warm to be human. He yanks his hand away, startled, then stares at the angel again.

Prompto laughs softly, then nods. “Yeah, I'm the angel. My human name is Prompto. My angelic name would be too much for you to comprehend.” He leans back a little and looks around his room. “Humans sure sleep a long-ass time. I forgot about that, to be honest,” he says, jumping up from the bed and instantly falling on his face. “Fuck, lack of wings. Right.” He stands up again and balances himself against the bed, smiling brightly.

It absolutely steals Noctis' breath. “I thought angels were supposed to be hideous things made of eyes. Are you possessing the body of a human?” he asks, eyes wide as he turns his head away. Prompto's loose white clothes are practically falling off his body now that he's standing, and it's flustering Noctis, even if Prompto doesn't seem to notice or care.

“Dude, you watch way too much TV. This is my human form. I can't hold my angelic form in this realm, it takes too much energy. Honestly, I could take just about any form, but when you called out and welded my soul to yours, you begged for a human. So I'm a human.” Prompto walks up to a poster on the wall and stares at it for a few moments. “Hm, I can't remember my life on Eos much. Glad I get to come back and have some fun.”

Noctis gets up and grabs a change of clothes, holding them out to Prompto. “Yeah, I do watch a lot of TV, I guess. It's really the only thing I have to do. Here, your clothes are too revealing. If you go out in public like that, we'll both get yelled at.” He sighs in relief when Prompto takes the clothes, then turns his back so he can change in privacy. “What do you mean your life on Eos? Were you born here and turned into an angel?” he asks, confused.

Prompto struggles with changing at first, since it's been a long time since he had to actually put on clothes, but he eventually gets it right. Noctis' clothes are a little baggy on him, but he doesn't care. “Yeah. I only lived for like eighteen years or something before I died? They told me they wiped it from my memory ‘cause it was too traumatizing.” He turns to Noctis with another happy smile, completely opposite of the words he just spoke.

Noctis blinks, then cocks his head to the side. “Huh, crazy. How long has it been? Or is that too personal?” he asks, grabbing clothes to change into as well. He blushes as Prompto laughs again; it sounds almost like music.

“Nah, not too personal. Can't be personal if I don't really remember it, right? Like six months ago. They said my soul was too good not to turn into an angel, so here I am.” Prompto continues to look at things around his room, then turns to Noctis again. “So what are we doing today? You got me all dressed to go outside, so are we going somewhere? This is so exciting!” he says happily.

Noctis can't stand up against his magnetic personality, then nods. “Yeah, I'm gonna take you to the mall to get some more clothes, then I guess we could just hang out.” He feels bad about how young Prompto died, but it doesn't seem to bother him, so he just drops it for now. “I don't really...know anything about having friends and I'm not sure what you're supposed to do with them, honestly,” he admits, blushing a little with embarrassment.

Prompto shrugs a little, smile still present. “Hey, no worries. I don't really know anything about it either, haha. We'll just have to figure it out together,” he says, setting a hand on Noctis' shoulder before pulling him into a tight hug. “I can feel how sad you are, Noctis,” he whispers, causing him to go stiff in his arms. “I'm going to do my best to help, alright?”

Noctis nods a little, then hugs him tightly in return. “Thank you,” he says, trying his best not to cry now. “I guess we should get going, then.” He pulls away from him, then heads towards the door, grabbing his wallet and phone on the way. Prompto follows behind him, looking around at everything with an almost childlike curiosity. Noctis smiles a little, finding it quite endearing, then puts on shoes and tosses a pair to Prompto. Which he doesn't catch and instead turns the most betrayed look to Noctis as they hit him in the chest.

“Sorry, dude. Should pay more attention. How are you a guardian if you can't even catch shoes?” he teases, smiling a little more, even as his chest aches. Something just pulled up the pain and grief he's been feeling, and he hates it.

Prompto pouts at that, and pulls on the shoes. “Not cool, a warning woulda been nice. Don't gotta be a jerk about it,” he says, sticking his tongue out at him. When the door opens, Prompto is let down by it opening into a long hallway, with other doors on them, and follows Noctis to the elevator. Out of curiosity, he hits several buttons, causing more stops than necessary.

“Stop, you're gonna make this take forever,” Noctis whines, pulling Prompto's hands away from the buttons and holding them until they reach the ground floor. “I promise you, all the floors in the complex look the same, okay?”

“I guess. Would have liked to see for myself,” Prompto responds, then doesn't let go of his hand as they walk outside. The bright sunlight blinds him at first, but when he's able to focus he lets out a loud gasp. “Holy crap, this city is so shiny and full of life!” he shouts, causing a few people to give him odd looks that he doesn't notice, but that embarrass Noctis. He bounces in place for a few moments, continuing to just stare at the sights.

Noctis starts to get impatient after a few moments. “C'mon, take a picture, it'll last longer. Let's go.”

“A what?”


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> not beta read :)

“You don't know what a picture is?” Noctis asks, eyebrows coming together in confusion. He has to remind himself that Prompto doesn't remember much from his last life, and so he's not going to know anything like this. “Well, it's when you use a camera and take a permanent still of something. Here, it's easier if I just show you.” He pulls out his phone and takes a picture of the shiny building, then shows Prompto. “And see, it stays. So you can go and look at it again.” 

“Oh, that's so cool!” Prompto takes the phone and stares down at the picture. “Can I take one?” he ask. Noctis nods and sets it up, putting his arms around Prompto to show him how. Prompto starts to snap dozens of pictures as they walk to the mall, only pausing to grab Noctis and pull him out of the way when someone driving cuts a curb and almost hits him. 

Noctis stares in shock at the car, then at Prompto. “How did...how did you know that was coming?” he asks, voice quiet. Prompto smiles at him, patting his shoulder. 

“I'm your guardian angel. I'm supposed to protect you. Can't do that if I don't see something coming, right? Someone was in a huge rush, I guess.” Prompto shrugs a little, then goes back to taking pictures of the busy street, then flips through them as they finish the last stretch to the mall. He hands Noctis' phone back over when it starts vibrating, then looks in the windows of the stores curiously. 

Noctis ignores the call, then follows Prompto into shops. It's easy to get clothes for Prompto, since he picks a few shirts and jeans pretty easily. Noctis also gets him a school uniform, since he doesn't want to leave Prompto at his house every day. He gets another phone call that he hits 'ignore' on as well. He doesn't care that he's missing school right now, Ignis can deal with it. He gets Prompto a phone and sets up the line, then adds himself as the only contact. 

As they head to the food court, he shows Prompto how to use the phone to text and call, and take photos at his request. Prompto gets a really good shot of Noctis smiling in amusement to use as his contact picture. Noctis gets up and gets them both something to eat, since it's nearly lunch time now and they hadn't had breakfast. 

Prompto is still playing with his phone and taking pictures when someone sits down across from him. He knows right away that they aren't Noctis, so he pays them no mind until they grab his wrist to get his attention. 

“Who are you and why are you helping Prince Noctis skip school today?” he asks, voice very clearly annoyed. Prompto shrugs a little. 

“Noctis brought me here. I didn't know he was skipping school. I don't even know what school is. My name is Prompto. Who are you?” Prompto feels the need to be nervous, this man's energy is incredibly angry, and he might need to protect Noctis. Prompto locks his phone and puts it in his pocket before pulling his wrist away. 

“I'm Ignis, Noctis' royal retainer and caretaker. I don't allow him to miss school.” He looks up when Noctis returns with the tray of foods, giving him a stern look. He receives a slight glare in return while Noctis hands Prompto his lunch. 

“What are you doing here, Ignis?” he asks in annoyance. Noctis sits down and starts to eat, watching Prompto to make sure he starts to eat as well. 

“I'm here to find out why you aren't in school. Now I'm more curious as to who this young man is,” Ignis responds, gesturing at Prompto. “Is he one of your school friends? I don't believe I've ever seen him around before.” 

Noctis glances at Prompto before looking back at Ignis. “He's a refugee from Niflheim. Guess my dad forgot to tell you. I need your help to get him into school, because he doesn't have any papers or anything. Dad is being super hush hush about it, cause he didn't immigrate legally but you know we'd never turn someone away.” 

Ignis nods a little, then looks to Prompto. “Alright,” he mumbles, though he doesn't entirely believe him, Noctis has to have a good reason for lying so much about it, and he won't go to King Regis until he knows if this person is good or bad news. He sighs. “What grade are you in, Prompto?” he asks. 

Prompto tilts his head, looking to Noctis in confusion. He has no idea what a grade is. He doesn't remember ever attending school in his last life if he did. “I dunno what that even means,” he mumbles, finishing the food that was put in front of him. “But this food is amazing, thanks Noctis,” he says with an excited smile. 

Noctis nods and gives him a small smile, unable to resist how cute he is when he gets excited like that. “He's the same age as me, so just get him into the same grade,” he says, figuring Prompto is probably still technically 18. He pats Prompto's shoulder softly, giving him a reassuring nod. “Do you want anything else?” he asks gently. 

Prompto shakes his head and stands up to throw away the trash. Ignis looks at Noctis while he's doing that. “He doesn't really look like a refugee, unless you've just been taking care of him that long. He looks nothing like the other refugees in our care.” 

Noctis sighs. “I don't know, Ignis, but that's it. He's a refugee and he needs help getting into high school so he can have a degree so he can get a job. Right now he's actually moving into my house, as my father has decided he's not dangerous and has been cleared.” He looks up when Prompto sits down beside him, then stands up. “Alright, Prom, time to go. We're going to get some ice cream then head home.” He gives Ignis a look. “I want to go be able to do my homework for tomorrow. Would you mind doing the paperwork for Prompto by tomorrow? If he has an opening for an art class, make sure it's photography.” 

Ignis sighs and nods, standing up. “Well, it's a pleasure to meet you, Prompto. I'll be checking in on you two very soon,” he says, trying to make his gaze stern, though it's hard with the way the man in front of him is grinning. 

Prompto holds Noctis' hand as he walks away quickly. He looks over at him, wondering about the sudden fear coming off of Noctis. “Hey, it's okay, dude. He's not following us or anything. Are you freaking out cause you lied? Don't worry, I was born in Niflheim, that I know, so it wasn't all a lie,” he says, trying to be reassuring. He feels that it doesn't quell the fear at all, and pauses to look at him. 

“It's okay, Noctis. We'll figure it out,” he says gently, cupping his cheek with a smile. “Look, if Ignis does find out this is all a lie, he can't do anything to get rid of me. I'm literally bound to you. And how much trouble could you really get into for that?” he asks, looking over his face. “You can't be hurt. At least not badly, not with me here. That's my job, to protect you.” 

“I know, but I feel bad for lying and I always hate when dad and Ignis are disappointed in me. It's the worst feeling.” Noctis sighs a little, then touches the hand on his cheek. It's incredibly warm, he notices, but not uncomfortable or sweaty. “Alright, let's go home. You picked up taking pictures on phones pretty well, but I want to know if you're any good at video games. Just to let you know, I'm a champion who can't be beat.” 

Prompto laughs softly, then smiles happily, nodding. “Yeah! Let's do it, Noct!” He lets go of Noctis' face and follows him home, insisting on hitting a few of the buttons for floors he hasn't seen yet. Noctis lets him do it, watching as his face morphs into one of delight at each floor, despite them all being the same. The one floor that had a cat, Noctis had to hold Prompto on the elevator so he didn't charge the poor thing and scare it. 

“You can see a cat later, dude. Promise. There's a lot in Insomnia.” He smiles as he pulls Prompto back into the elevator and it heads upwards once more, only stopping on a few more floors before Noctis can finally get him inside. 

Prompto, he would later find, is absolutely terrible at most video games, but aces the shooting games for some reason. Noctis glances over at him, finding the way he focuses on the screen to make sure his shots land just right every time absolutely adorable.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> haha well aparently i've been sitting on this chapter for a while and forgot I wrote it sorry for the wait!


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> not beta read

Prompto can't seem to grasp the idea of school, though he gets an odd feeling of dread when he walks inside next to Noctis. He looks over at the young man, feeling waves of sadness and pain coming off of him already. “Did something happen here? That upsets you?” he asks, wanting to know in case he needs to protect him from it again. He frowns a little when Noctis just shrugs. “Noct, I can't do my job if you don't let me,” he complains. 

Noctis gives him a slight smile, then sighs. “I don't know. Every time I come here I get really sad, that's all I know. And this weird longing, like something is missing but I can't remember what it is, so I guess it doesn't really matter. You can't exactly protect me from my feelings, Prom, it's fine. Let's just go get you some classes, alright? Ignis said he took care of enrolling you and told them to keep your schedule similar to mine.” He walks to the office with Prompto, opening the door so he can go inside. 

Prompto steps in first, looking at the woman behind the desk. He doesn't know what to say to her, and is glad when Noctis takes care of it. He's handed a sheet of paper, but he doesn't really know what it is, deciding to just wait until Noctis explains it to him. He hands it over when it seems like Noctis really wants it, smiling happily. 

“Awesome, we have mostly the same classes. Well, all but one actually. We have different art classes, you're in photo.” Noctis gives it back to him after circling the room number for the class they have different. “I'll show you to all of your classes, even that one, but after a while you're going to have to do that one yourself, alright?” he says, then leads him to their first class. 

Prompto is a bit confused about this whole thing. Sure, he knows that learning is completely necessary for humans, but the way they're doing it seems to be almost torturous. Noctis is bored and tired among other things, and he feels similar emotions coming off of the other teenagers nearby. He pouts a little as he looks down at the paper he's written few notes on, almost feeling what he can only describe as bored. He honestly didn't think being a guardian angel would lead to being stuck here. 

Each class they go to seems to be the same way, and he doesn't like that. He wants to take Noctis and leave, the feeling making him antsy. If this is what they skipped the day before, he doesn't really blame Noctis for taking the excuse. As they're heading to his photography class, he remembers this is the one he has to do without Noctis. 

“Alright, here you go. I'm going to be in another building, but these are our last classes. At the end, you can just wait for me out here and I'll come get you,” Noctis explains, trying not to look too long at the sad eyes of the angel. He doesn't want to leave Prompto alone, but he doesn't have a choice. “It's gonna be alright, dude, don't look at me like that. Just go in there and do what you did in all the other classes.” He waves then walks away, not wanting to be late.

Prompto puffs out his cheeks and watches Noctis walk off, then heads into the class. He's still pouting a little bit as he does the introduction, then sits at a desk. He lays his head on his arms and listens to the teacher explaining a camera technique, perking up a little when cameras are handed to each student to try it out. He quickly snaps a picture, smiling happily at the result as it pops up on the screen. He really does like this odd technology, he decides. When the class is out, he steps outside like Noctis told him to and just waits, not talking to anyone who tries to speak with him. 

He perks up when he sees Noctis, walking over to him with an excited smile. “They taught me how to take pictures,” he says, bouncing a little. “I used an actual camera and not just a phone. The teacher said that she didn't believe it was my first time handling one!” 

Noctis smiles softly, gently taking Prompto's hand to lead him away while he talks. “That's awesome, dude. Glad you enjoyed that class, I figured you would, that's why I told Ignis to put you in it.” He leads Prompto through the crowds flooding towards the bus, deciding to walk home today. He explains anything Prompto has questions about if he can, though it's mostly simple things. He supposes a lot of the technology in their world would confuse an angel. 

When they get back to his apartment (finally) after viewing several more floors, he flops onto the couch and groans softly. “I don't want to do homework,” he whines, looking over at Prompto. 

Prompto looks down at him, then shrugs. “I don't really know what that is, but I can do it for you,” he offers. He blushes when Noctis laughs, not sure he he said something wrong. “I mean, I think I have some too, the teachers gave it to us, but I wouldn't mind doing yours as well, can't be that hard, then you can play games.” He hopes it'll make Noctis feel better, and maybe even disperse some of the boredom. 

“No, dude, I can't let you do that. We'll do it together so I can show you, and then we can play games together. That's what friends do.” He sits up, making room for Prompto on the couch, then pats the spot next to him. It's weird to have to explain even something as simple as homework, but Prompto just seems utterly clueless about all of it. Noctis thinks they might have been a little too thorough when wiping his memory. He finds pretty quickly that while Prompto might not know what homework is, that doesn't make him any less good at it. Once they get started, they're done relatively quickly. 

“Awesome, you're so smart Prompto. It's like you've done all that before or something and just don't know it.” Noctis smiles at him, blushing when Prompto gives him a pleased smile. “Alright, game time.” 

Hours later, when Ignis comes to check on them, he finds them curled up together on the ground, controllers in hand and a game's main menu music playing over and over. He sighs softly and gently takes them, turning everything off. He lays a blanket over the boys then leaves, at least glad that Noctis seems to have a new friend that makes him relatively happy. 

Prompto doesn't wake up again until the sun comes up. He makes a soft noise as he stretches, then looks over at Noctis who is still curled tightly against his side. He smiles, gently brushing the hair off of his forehead. Noctis said that they don't have school today, so he can sleep in, even if Prompto doesn't need or want to. He stays there, staring at the ceiling as he thinks. School felt familiar, even if it was boring. He assumes he must have been there before at some point. This, too, feels familiar. Holding someone the way he's holding Noctis right now. 

Prompto rolls onto his side, gently brushing a few locks of hair from Noctis' eyes as he looks over his face. He thinks Noctis looks nice when he's sleeping. He looks peaceful. When he's awake he always looks so sorrowful. He can feel it, so strong, that Noctis' soul is searching for something. What, he's not sure, but sometimes his soul relaxes when he's around Prompto. He's still staring, unblinking, at Noctis when Noctis opens his eyes. 

Noctis jumps and leans his head back a little. “Dude, back up a little? It's not really normal for people to get that close unless they're dating or something,” he explains when Prompto gives him a look of confusion. It's a look he's growing quite used to seeing on his face. It's like a confused puppy dog, and he finds it to be quite adorable. He gets up. “I'm going to order us something to eat.” 

Prompto watches Noctis get up then stands up, looking around at everything. Noctis' house is fairly barren, aside from a few pictures he's smiling in, though he's alone. It looks like he's looking towards someone in the images, but he can't fathom who. He hasn't seen Noctis smile like this once since he arrived. Maybe it takes some time. It's also weird to him that Noctis has them up, but maybe it's something he doesn't know from Noctis' past. 

“Alright, dude. What do you want to do til breakfast gets here?” Noctis asks, coming over to look as well. He blushes when he sees the pictures. “I don't even remember getting these taken,” he mumbles, grabbing them and setting them down in a pile to do something with later.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this chapter is mostly just filler to see how our angel deals with school, especially being alone in a class haha 
> 
> next update to come when I get the chance to write


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> no beta

The more time Prompto spends with Noctis the more he learns about humans and their feelings. He can sense when Noctis going to get upset, but now he knows how to try to help, and sometimes just to let him feel it. Memories about his environment are also coming back, which he's mostly grateful for. He doesn't like relying on Noctis to teach him everything. His favourite thing to remember was how to use a camera. Some vague memories attached to cameras came along with it, though they held a profound sense of sadness so he didn't try to access them. 

Prompto is torn from his current daydreaming by a loud shout as Noctis is knocked to the training mats by his trainer, Gladio. It takes a lot of restraint not to jump in to protect Noctis if he watches, so he zones out instead. He can feel irritation coming off of Noctis, which he finds kind of funny. Noctis always gets irritated if he can't manage to land an attack or if Gladio has landed too many attacks of his own. He watches Noctis get back up and get back into it, about to let himself get lost in thought again when he feels a spike of pain shoot through Noctis' back. It felt awful, like Noctis is seriously injured. 

It only takes seconds for Prompto to be between Gladio and Noctis, hand up to take the next blow Gladio was going to swing. “That is enough,” Prompto growls, pushing on Gladio's sword hard enough to send him stumbling a few steps back. He turns, gently helping Noctis up. “Are you alright?” he asks, examining him for any injuries or residual pain. 

Gladio is staring at the back of Prompto's head, absolutely confused. He could have sworn Prompto was across the room from them, how did he move so quickly? And he pushed him away. He's never met anyone Prompto's size who could physically move him like that, let alone someone who supposedly hasn't done any training before. He watches Noctis assure Prompto that he's okay, tilting his head. It almost like Noctis called off some kind of guard dog, with the way Prompto backs off. 

Prompto gives Noctis a soft smile, then steps back to let Noctis continue training, though he doesn't go as far as he was before. He watches this time, still feeling twinges of pain shooting through Noctis. He hates that, that there's nothing he can do about it. Noctis' pain, especially physically, is not something he can just fix. His job is to stop anything new from happening. He sighs softly, looking away. Being a human is exhausting and he misses the sky. 

He doesn't even notice when training is finally done, not until Noctis walks over to him and gets his attention. “Heyaz. Finally done with your self induced torture?” Prompto asks, smiling at him. He turns Noctis around and lifts the back of his shirt, despite heavy protest, and runs his fingers along the scar. “I'm sorry this is still hurting you,” he says softly, dropping his shirt. He hugs Noctis tightly, closing his eyes and resting his mouth against his shoulder. 

Noctis sighs softly, putting his hands over Prompto's. “It's okay. It's usually not so bad, I fell wrong. I don't really like when people touch or look at it.” He bites his lip, closing his eyes. “Please don't any more. I don't want you to.” 

Prompto nods. “Okay.” He understands the weight of not letting anyone touch or see old wounds. He continues to hold Noctis, though, because he feels that it's helping him. He can feel the turmoil running through Noctis' mind. Happiness, sadness, depression, pain, and a few feelings he can't quite place. Comfort and relaxation are moving towards the front the more they hug, though. “Dude, you smell,” he teases, letting go of Noctis finally. 

Noctis rolls his eyes and playfully pushes him, laughing when Prompto pretends to stumble. “I'm going to take a shower, woulda been there sooner if somebody hadn't stopped me,” he says, grinning. He heads off to the shower, leaving Prompto with the other two. 

Gladio looks at Ignis for a moment before walking over to Prompto. “Who the hell are you?” he asks, arms crossed over his chest. “Don't give me any of that Niflheim immigrant bullshit, either, we don't believe that. Why are you hanging around Noctis suddenly, and what's with the protectiveness? You don't believe we would stop Noct's training if he was actually hurt?” He's annoyed and offended that anyone would think he would hurt Noctis or push him past what he can handle. 

Prompto shrugs. “I am from Niflheim, so it's not like it's bullshit. I don't really owe you an explanation, Noctis wants me around so I'm going to be here,” he says. He rolls his eyes. “I wasn't sure. You were still standing over him even after he started hurting badly, so I was making sure. You might be in charge of his training, but I'm here to make sure he's safe, Gladio. If you try to stop me, I will be pissed off.” He turns and heads towards the showers, preferring to wait for Noctis where he'll be alone. 

He's not sure what it is, but Gladio and Ignis really seem to hate him, even though they've all got Noctis' safety in mind. He sighs, looking around to make sure he's alone before pulling his wings into existence. It burns a lot of his energy, and blacks out many of the nearby lights, but it feels so nice. He missed them. He can feel someone nearby, so he banishes them once more, afraid to be seen like that and experimented on, he's heard other angels tell horror stories about stuff like that. 

The lights flicker on again, allowing him to see what's coming. Ignis rounds the corner, talking with a few guards he's seen around the training hall. He steps out of their way, but he doesn't miss the look he's shot. He sticks his tongue out, blushing as Noctis steps out of the locker rooms and sees him doing that. It's not a good idea, he decides, to get into it with Noctis' other friends. 

Noctis tilts his head a little, coming over to Prompto. “What was that all about?” he asks. 

“Nothing. I just don't think he likes me very much, and he's not trying to hide it either,” Prompto responds. “You ready to go? Pretty sure that video game is calling our names,” he says with a grin. 

Noctis gives him a slight smile and nods. “Yep, let's go.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry for the super short chapter, i'm going to be busy next week and won't be able to write :<
> 
> just wanted to get this one out before that and show our angel's interaction with Gladio


End file.
